DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.8176#0031
2.5
occur on our vase. First, the peculiar treatment of the hair and beard of the Silen ; the streaked, crinkled locks are evidently
an attempt to lighten the heavy black mass. Second, the thyrsos is rendered as a hollow cone into which the ivy-bunch at the
end is inserted. This is quite different to the usual thyrsos as seen, e.g., in Plate XV. The dress of the Maenad is interesting,
it so closely resembles the dress of one of the archaic series of statues found in the Acropolis. The f, iral?, "the girl," of
course, expects a Ka\rj, " is beautiful" ; it is the only instance in our selected vases in which a maiden is celebrated in place
of a youth. Tepoirov (for rep-n-av), " Delighter," is a not uncommon Satyr name. Another charming Satyr subject that tells its
own tale is given in Plate XXXII. It is of course of much maturer style than that of Oltos. It is bordered by the maunder
pattern, with cross in the fourth space affected by Brygos.
Far more advanced are the little designs on Plate XXXIII. They take us to the time of Duris and Hieron, though all
definite links are lacking. The humour of Hermes and the pig is worthy of Brygos, but the drawing a little too severe ; the
cup, too, from which it comes has the short, heavy stem that preceded him. A very close examination of the ground of the
design has shown the preliminary outline of a perfectly different design rejected by the painter. It consisted of some figure
walking the opposite way to the present Hermes ; it is of course invisible in the reproduction. Attempts have been made to
give the tree-trimming man on the same plate a mythological name, but this is unnecessary. The interpretation of the man in
the chest is also uncertain.
The designs collected in the plates have been selected entirely for their merit as designs, quite irrespective of the shapes
of the vases from which they are taken. The result is that so far in the red-figured period they are almost uniformly cylixes.
This is incidentally good evidence that, as has been well said, the cylix, the Cinderella of the black-figured period, emerged as
princess of the red. It would be a mistake, however, to suppose that no fine designs occur on other shapes. Plates XXX. and
XXXIV. come forward to refute this. Danae on her couch waiting the golden shower; Perseus and the chest are from the
obverse and reverse of a krater ; and they might very well have been signed by Brygos, instead of the disappointing 6 Trat? «a\o9,
which gives no clue. In the original, on the himation of Danae, occur the small rows of dots, vertical to the drapery-
folds, characteristic of Brygos. Near the figure of Akrisios are traces of a preliminary sketch ; his hand and arm were
originally drawn lower down. The subject of Perseus and the chest is a rare one; only one other instance in vase-
painting has come down to us.
In the sleeping Ariadne of Plate XXXV. we are on less conjectural ground. If not from the hand of Brygos it was
certainly executed under his influence. The drapery of Ariadne is closely to his pattern : note the sleeves with their crinkled
border and the apron-like flap, the free use of red colour on the tree; the scenic pictorial effect and the story-telling air all
make for Brygos. The sleeping Maenad of Plate XXXVI. is composed something after the same type, but is far less lovely, and
there is no note of any special master's hand. The charming cylix of which the interior design is given in Plate XXXVII. has
been referred to Brygos, and with considerable probability. The extraordinary and unnatural elongation of the limbs of the
youth is a thing that Brygos does not seem to mind. The spotted cloak also, and the great care with which accessory
objects are put in, e.g., table and myrtle branches, flute case, all look like him ; so does the maeander pattern, intercepted at the
fourth place.
The cylix in Plate XXXVIII. is almost certainly by Brygos, though again the signature is lacking. Again the figures
are excessively slim and elongated, almost pinched-looking. The vine branches are treated just as in Plate XXXV. The
sleeves of Dionysos are of the Brygos pattern—so is his spotted cloak—the border, with its bead-like edge, is a favourite of
his, though Hieron sometimes uses it.
This group of Dionysos and his Satyr reminds one of the Hieron group in Plate XXII., though the composition is far
richer, owing to the third figure, and also more fantastic. Unmistakably inspired by Brygos is the figure of Dionysos.
The god has laid aside all his attributes of vine branch and kantharos, and plays a seven-stringed lyre, his head thrown back
with mouth open as though to sing. Just so Paris plays the lyre on the exterior of a Brygos vase of the Louvre, of which
the interior picture only is given in Plate XXVI.
The Troilos vase, in Plate XVII., has been ascribed to Onesimos. If the ascription be correct, Onesimos must surely
be the artist of the beautiful design in Plate XXXIX.—A Greek warrior slaying a Centaur—the figure of the warrior is too
closely similar to that of Troilos (in the interior) to have come from a different hand. Almost the same warrior occurs
on another beautiful, but badly damaged, cylix in Munich, where the warrior slays not a Centaur but the Amazon
Penthesilea.
The astragalos of the British Museum (Plate XL.) is distinctly later. It has neither signature nor dedication
name, but the extreme delicacy, the fineness and even smallness of the figures, are a fashion that came about the
middle or towards the end of the fifth century B.C. An attempt has been made to give a mythological meaning to
the design, but wc prefer the old explanation—a dance of maidens taught by an old dancing master to imitate a
G '
occur on our vase. First, the peculiar treatment of the hair and beard of the Silen ; the streaked, crinkled locks are evidently
an attempt to lighten the heavy black mass. Second, the thyrsos is rendered as a hollow cone into which the ivy-bunch at the
end is inserted. This is quite different to the usual thyrsos as seen, e.g., in Plate XV. The dress of the Maenad is interesting,
it so closely resembles the dress of one of the archaic series of statues found in the Acropolis. The f, iral?, "the girl," of
course, expects a Ka\rj, " is beautiful" ; it is the only instance in our selected vases in which a maiden is celebrated in place
of a youth. Tepoirov (for rep-n-av), " Delighter," is a not uncommon Satyr name. Another charming Satyr subject that tells its
own tale is given in Plate XXXII. It is of course of much maturer style than that of Oltos. It is bordered by the maunder
pattern, with cross in the fourth space affected by Brygos.
Far more advanced are the little designs on Plate XXXIII. They take us to the time of Duris and Hieron, though all
definite links are lacking. The humour of Hermes and the pig is worthy of Brygos, but the drawing a little too severe ; the
cup, too, from which it comes has the short, heavy stem that preceded him. A very close examination of the ground of the
design has shown the preliminary outline of a perfectly different design rejected by the painter. It consisted of some figure
walking the opposite way to the present Hermes ; it is of course invisible in the reproduction. Attempts have been made to
give the tree-trimming man on the same plate a mythological name, but this is unnecessary. The interpretation of the man in
the chest is also uncertain.
The designs collected in the plates have been selected entirely for their merit as designs, quite irrespective of the shapes
of the vases from which they are taken. The result is that so far in the red-figured period they are almost uniformly cylixes.
This is incidentally good evidence that, as has been well said, the cylix, the Cinderella of the black-figured period, emerged as
princess of the red. It would be a mistake, however, to suppose that no fine designs occur on other shapes. Plates XXX. and
XXXIV. come forward to refute this. Danae on her couch waiting the golden shower; Perseus and the chest are from the
obverse and reverse of a krater ; and they might very well have been signed by Brygos, instead of the disappointing 6 Trat? «a\o9,
which gives no clue. In the original, on the himation of Danae, occur the small rows of dots, vertical to the drapery-
folds, characteristic of Brygos. Near the figure of Akrisios are traces of a preliminary sketch ; his hand and arm were
originally drawn lower down. The subject of Perseus and the chest is a rare one; only one other instance in vase-
painting has come down to us.
In the sleeping Ariadne of Plate XXXV. we are on less conjectural ground. If not from the hand of Brygos it was
certainly executed under his influence. The drapery of Ariadne is closely to his pattern : note the sleeves with their crinkled
border and the apron-like flap, the free use of red colour on the tree; the scenic pictorial effect and the story-telling air all
make for Brygos. The sleeping Maenad of Plate XXXVI. is composed something after the same type, but is far less lovely, and
there is no note of any special master's hand. The charming cylix of which the interior design is given in Plate XXXVII. has
been referred to Brygos, and with considerable probability. The extraordinary and unnatural elongation of the limbs of the
youth is a thing that Brygos does not seem to mind. The spotted cloak also, and the great care with which accessory
objects are put in, e.g., table and myrtle branches, flute case, all look like him ; so does the maeander pattern, intercepted at the
fourth place.
The cylix in Plate XXXVIII. is almost certainly by Brygos, though again the signature is lacking. Again the figures
are excessively slim and elongated, almost pinched-looking. The vine branches are treated just as in Plate XXXV. The
sleeves of Dionysos are of the Brygos pattern—so is his spotted cloak—the border, with its bead-like edge, is a favourite of
his, though Hieron sometimes uses it.
This group of Dionysos and his Satyr reminds one of the Hieron group in Plate XXII., though the composition is far
richer, owing to the third figure, and also more fantastic. Unmistakably inspired by Brygos is the figure of Dionysos.
The god has laid aside all his attributes of vine branch and kantharos, and plays a seven-stringed lyre, his head thrown back
with mouth open as though to sing. Just so Paris plays the lyre on the exterior of a Brygos vase of the Louvre, of which
the interior picture only is given in Plate XXVI.
The Troilos vase, in Plate XVII., has been ascribed to Onesimos. If the ascription be correct, Onesimos must surely
be the artist of the beautiful design in Plate XXXIX.—A Greek warrior slaying a Centaur—the figure of the warrior is too
closely similar to that of Troilos (in the interior) to have come from a different hand. Almost the same warrior occurs
on another beautiful, but badly damaged, cylix in Munich, where the warrior slays not a Centaur but the Amazon
Penthesilea.
The astragalos of the British Museum (Plate XL.) is distinctly later. It has neither signature nor dedication
name, but the extreme delicacy, the fineness and even smallness of the figures, are a fashion that came about the
middle or towards the end of the fifth century B.C. An attempt has been made to give a mythological meaning to
the design, but wc prefer the old explanation—a dance of maidens taught by an old dancing master to imitate a
G '